Looking Towards Next Season

[53n206]

That's one of the weird quirks of the NBA these days. Being a second round draft pick is, for a lot of guys, a dream come true. You get to hear an NBA team announce your name to the world as someone the specifically want.

But in reality, being a 2nd round pick sucks. Ok, if you're an early 2nd round pick and get a 2-year contract at the NBA minimum (like 900k/year?) then its fine. You're basically a first round pick that happened a little late. But for most second round picks, especially the later picks, you're extremely likely to end up in the G-league (or sent abroad somewhere. Devon Hall was a 2nd round pick for UVA a few years ago and ended up playing in New Zealand for some reason) with a 2-way contract. Which is... fine. You'll get a couple weeks in the NBA and maybe play a few minutes if you're lucky, and probably make 150k/year. Its not great, but you're within striking distance of the NBA.

The reason being a 2nd round pick is a problem is because you're tied to a single team. Sure, its a team that picked you, but they could have picked you for any number of reasons that aren't optimal for your career. Maybe they're a team that isn't great at player development or scouting. Maybe they're concerned someone is injury prone and are just keeping you for a year or two as an insurance policy. I grew up in Sacramento and have rooted for them the entirety of the time they've been there. So I know what I'm talking about when I say it breaks my heart to see a player I like get drafted by the Kings. Because that's an organization that literally does nothing well. If they'd drafted Zion they'd have found a way to mis-use him (maybe force him to be a pass-first point foward), be publicly disappointed in the results, and after damaging his confidence for a few years trade him away to a team where he doesn't fit.

If you're good enough to get on teams' radar, but aren't drafted, you can now think about which teams are good at development, which teams have organizational needs you can fill, or even opportunistically note which teams have had injuries lately. You then make a list and go talk to whoever you want. Sure, your dream team (whoever it is) probably won't work out, but there are many, many other teams all with various needs. The odds are pretty good that you'll find *someone* that'll see your potential and give you a deal, and you're free to avoid the bad teams where you'd get buried and misused.

Must agree with you.

[MarkD83]

That's one of the weird quirks of the NBA these days. Being a second round draft pick is, for a lot of guys, a dream come true. You get to hear an NBA team announce your name to the world as someone the specifically want.

But in reality, being a 2nd round pick sucks. Ok, if you're an early 2nd round pick and get a 2-year contract at the NBA minimum (like 900k/year?) then its fine. You're basically a first round pick that happened a little late. But for most second round picks, especially the later picks, you're extremely likely to end up in the G-league (or sent abroad somewhere. Devon Hall was a 2nd round pick for UVA a few years ago and ended up playing in New Zealand for some reason) with a 2-way contract. Which is... fine. You'll get a couple weeks in the NBA and maybe play a few minutes if you're lucky, and probably make 150k/year. Its not great, but you're within striking distance of the NBA.

The reason being a 2nd round pick is a problem is because you're tied to a single team. Sure, its a team that picked you, but they could have picked you for any number of reasons that aren't optimal for your career. Maybe they're a team that isn't great at player development or scouting. Maybe they're concerned someone is injury prone and are just keeping you for a year or two as an insurance policy. I grew up in Sacramento and have rooted for them the entirety of the time they've been there. So I know what I'm talking about when I say it breaks my heart to see a player I like get drafted by the Kings. Because that's an organization that literally does nothing well. If they'd drafted Zion they'd have found a way to mis-use him (maybe force him to be a pass-first point foward), be publicly disappointed in the results, and after damaging his confidence for a few years trade him away to a team where he doesn't fit.

If you're good enough to get on teams' radar, but aren't drafted, you can now think about which teams are good at development, which teams have organizational needs you can fill, or even opportunistically note which teams have had injuries lately. You then make a list and go talk to whoever you want. Sure, your dream team (whoever it is) probably won't work out, but there are many, many other teams all with various needs. The odds are pretty good that you'll find *someone* that'll see your potential and give you a deal, and you're free to avoid the bad teams where you'd get buried and misused.

This leads to an interesting "conclusion" that a college player SHOULD declare for the draft if they are not one of the 60 best players in any given year. If they are 1-30 they get the guaranteed contract and > 60 they are a free agent. So, this is very "scary" in terms of who is left on Duke's roster who should consider going pro....

[gep]

So we won’t be “knocked back” next year? I hope so. That phrase really got annoying last year.

YES... I got real tired of that phrase this year. I hope we knock others back next year.

This leads to an interesting "conclusion" that a college player SHOULD declare for the draft if they are not one of the 60 best players in any given year. If they are 1-30 they get the guaranteed contract and > 60 they are a free agent. So, this is very "scary" in terms of who is left on Duke's roster who should consider going pro...

As a "free agent", you get to pick which teams you might want to try out for. Works in the NFL...